Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL; ), is a state-owned manufacturer and distributor of
cigarettes
A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...
and
alcohol, and also formerly (until 2002) a state-sanctioned
alcohol beverage brewing and retailing monopoly, in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. Its most famous product is
Taiwan Beer
Taiwan Beer (, or ) is a large-market beer brewed by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL). The brand, an icon of Taiwanese culture, is the best-selling beer in the country.
History
The company today known as TTL, had its origins in ...
. Other products include
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
, Japanese-style
liqueurs, Chinese herb liqueurs, and various
distilled spirits
Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard l ...
.
TTL was established as a government agency during
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
colonial rule and was renamed the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau (菸酒公賣局) in 1947. Between 1947 and 1968, the Bureau exercised a monopoly over all alcohol,
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, and
camphor products sold in Taiwan. It retained tobacco and alcohol monopolies until Taiwan's entry into the
WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
in 2002.
TTL sponsors a semi-professional basketball team, the
Taiwan Beer
Taiwan Beer (, or ) is a large-market beer brewed by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL). The brand, an icon of Taiwanese culture, is the best-selling beer in the country.
History
The company today known as TTL, had its origins in ...
of
Super Basketball League
The Super Basketball League (超級籃球聯賽), often abbreviated as the SBL, is a semi-professional men's basketball league in Taiwan.
Current clubs
Currently, there are four teams competing in the SBL. They are as follows:
* Bank of Tai ...
.
History
The company today known as TTL had its origins in a government agency established by
Taiwan's Japanese rulers in 1901. The Monopoly Bureau of the Taiwan Governor's Office was responsible for all
liquor and
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
products in Taiwan as well as
opium,
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
, and
camphor. The Bureau began brewing ''Takasago Beer'' in 1922 through the
Takasago Malted Beer Company (founded in 1919). Light and dark varieties were offered, though the price of Takasago Beer varied widely over the course of its manufacture depending on the availability of imported Japanese beers and the contingencies of the economy.
As
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
reached its conclusion in the 1940s
match
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
es,
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
and
standard weights and measures also came under the Monopoly Bureau's authority.
After the war, the incoming
Chinese Nationalists
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Taiw ...
preserved the monopoly system for alcohol and tobacco. Production of beer was assigned in 1945 to the Taiwan Provincial Monopoly Bureau (臺灣省專賣局). Takasago Beer was renamed ''
Taiwan Beer
Taiwan Beer (, or ) is a large-market beer brewed by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL). The brand, an icon of Taiwanese culture, is the best-selling beer in the country.
History
The company today known as TTL, had its origins in ...
'' in 1946. The following year, production of Taiwan Beer was assigned to the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau (臺灣省菸酒公賣局). In the 1960s locally produced was added to the
fermentation process, resulting in the distinctive local flavour for which the beer is known today.
Taiwan entered its modern period of pluralistic
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
in the 1990s. Laws went into force in 2002 as Taiwan prepared for admission to the
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...
(WTO) that opened the Taiwan market to competing products. In 2002 the Monopoly Bureau gave way to its successor, the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL, 臺灣菸酒公司).
As of 2003 TTL has introduced four new Taiwan Beer brews: Gold Medal, Draft, Mine Amber and Mine Dark. Taiwan Beer remains the island's best-selling brew and is one of the most recognized brands in Taiwan's business world.
In 2022 TTL purchased 20,000 bottles of Lithuanian rum which were originally to be shipped to China. The rum was in danger of being denied entry to China because of a diplomatic dispute between Lithuania and China which involved Taiwan.
Whisky
In 2018, Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation introduced a
whiskey
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ...
known as Omar.
Rum
Commercial rum production was introduced into Taiwan along with commercial sugar production during the Japanese colonial period and was moved under the monopoly when it was created.
Rum production continued under the ROC however it was neglected by TTL.
TTL produced Koxinga Gold rum from local sugar cane until 2002 when they switched to cheaper Thai molasses.
Taiwan Beer
Taiwan Beer
Taiwan Beer (, or ) is a large-market beer brewed by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL). The brand, an icon of Taiwanese culture, is the best-selling beer in the country.
History
The company today known as TTL, had its origins in ...
is the main brand of the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation. The brand, an icon of
Taiwanese culture
The culture of Taiwan is a blend of Confucian Chinese and indigenous Taiwanese cultures. Despite the overwhelming traditional Chinese influence, Japanese culture has influenced Taiwanese culture as well. The common socio-political experienc ...
, began as a monopoly product but has remained the best-selling
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
on the island in the era of
free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...
.
Taiwan Beer has incorporated locally produced
ponlai rice in its recipe since the 1960s,
giving the beer a distinctive flavour. Taiwan Beer brews have won international awards, including the International
Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...
in 1977 and the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2002.
Three
lager
Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...
brews, all amber, are sold under the ''Taiwan Beer'' brand name. ''Original'' and ''Gold Medal'', introduced in April 2003, are 4.5%
abv
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
and have a wide domestic distribution. The newest lager, ''Draft'', appears most often in bars and restaurants, where it is available on tap or in its signature solid green bottle. Designed to be sold fresh, it is rarely seen in stores due to its early expiration date.
Taiwan Beer is mass-produced at the Wuri Beer Factory (烏日啤酒廠) in
Wuri District
Wuri District () is a suburban district in southern Taichung, Taiwan. Both of the two north–south freeways (National Freeway 1 and National Freeway 3) pass through Wuri. Wuri is also home to a large military training centre, Chengkungling, as w ...
,
Taichung City
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Tai ...
. It is also brewed on site at the Taiwan Beer Bar in
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
.
In 2008, Taiwan Beer began selling malt brews under the Mine label: Mine Amber and Mine Dark. Two special variants of Taiwan Beer, Taiwan Black and Taiwan Red, appeared in 2009.
Plants
TTL has 9 wineries and distilleries, 4 breweries, and 2 tobacco plants.
Marketing
TTL marketing strategies include advertisements featuring celebrity endorsements by popular Taiwanese figures such as
A-Mei
Kulilay Amit (, born 9 August 1972), better known by her stage name A-Mei, is a Taiwanese Puyuma singer and record producer. In 1996, she made her singing debut and released her album, ''Sisters''. Her albums ''Truth'' (2001), ''Amit'' (2009), ...
. A
basketball team
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
named ''Taiwan Beer'', popularly nicknamed 'The Brew Crew,' is sponsored by the company. The Taiwan Beer Bar and Beer Garden is a
brewpub
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis ...
in
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
. The Factory, near the Wujih station of the
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed railway of Taiwan consisting of one line that runs approximately along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction and operations managed by a pri ...
, is the site of an annual Taiwan Beer Festival (台灣啤酒節) held every summer.
Gallery of images
File:TTL Taipei Beer Factory 20160305 1.jpg, Taipei Beer plant
File:Nantou Winery 南投酒廠 - panoramio (1).jpg, Nantou Winery
File:TTL Convenience Store Baifu 20110621.jpg, TTL Convenience Store
See also
*
Beer in Taiwan
*
List of companies of Taiwan
*
Taiwanese whisky
References
Further reading
*Case Study
TsingTao and Taiwan Beer: Trademark Dispute Between Beijing and TaipeiLin, Jackie. "Beer fight is about politics: TTL." ''Taipei Times'', 2004-07-02."2008 Taiwan Beer Festival." ''Taipei Times'', 2008-08-01.
External links
Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL) - Official SiteTaiwan Beer - Ads and Features (YouTube)
{{authority control
Beer in Taiwan
Government-owned companies of Taiwan
Manufacturing companies based in Taipei
Taiwanese brands
Tobacco in Taiwan
Tobacco companies of Taiwan
Food and drink companies of Taiwan
Distilleries in Taiwan
1901 establishments in Taiwan
Taiwanese whisky
Alcohol in Taiwan